Frank Heckenast Jr.
Michael Long
Jose Parga
Long, Parga Also Victorious in Season Finale
Results | Story & Pictures by Rocky Ragusa
The Fairbury Speedway concluded their 2021 racing season Saturday night with the annual “FALS Frenzy'' presented by Edelman Inc. 130 cars in three classes journeyed to “America’s Dirt Track” looking to add their name as a feature race winner. Frankfort’s Frank Heckenast Jr. (Late Model), Michael Long of Fowler (Modified), and New Berlin’s Jose Parga (Pro Late Model) were able to take the big checks and accolades in their respective divisions.
Heckenast admitted at one time to having a dislike for Fairbury, preferring the bigger ⅜ and ½ mile tracks. However, in the last four years of racing at Fairbury on a limited basis, the 33-year-old has added six wins. Saturday night was the biggest paying win of his career as he took the lead from Gordy Gundaker on lap 34 and pulled away to win the $15,000 first prize. “This place is so hard to win at,” Heckenast said. “Matt Curl does a great job and everyone that works here. This place has been building up for years. This is one of the races that I have wanted to win. I would rather win this than $20,000 just because of the prestige of this race and place.” World of Outlaws points leader Brandon Sheppard got by Gundaker with three laps to go to finish in the runner-up position, while Gundaker settled for third. Ryan Unzicker came home in fourth, followed by Tanner English, McKay Wenger, Garrett Alberson, Ryan Gustin, Jason Feger, and Trevor Gundaker. Wenger led the first group of qualifiers with a time of 12.541 seconds, while Sheppard paced the second group with a lap of 12.488 seconds as 41 drivers looked to make the starting grid in the 50-lap race. Gundaker, Feger, Sheppard, and Heckenast won their respective heat races, while Mike Mullen and Dennis Erb Jr. were the b-main winners.
54 Modifieds took time trials for their 30-lap, $3,000 to win race. The first group had Allen Weisser turning a lap at 13.783 seconds, and Austin Friedman led the second group with a time of 13.924 seconds. Weisser, Kyle Steffens, Mike McKinney, Friedman, Mike Harrison and Timmy Hill won their respective heat races. Will Bennett and Trevor Neville earned their way into the feature by winning the two semi features. In a race that saw the lead change hands eight times among four drivers, Michael Long came out on top for his first-ever Fairbury feature win. Running the top side of the speedway, Long made it look as if he were out on a Sunday drive and took the lead from Weisser with nine laps remaining to pick up the win. “We have raced here quite a bit, off and on, and finally got one here,” an excited Long commented. “The car was good. I started in seventh and was able to get up to the front. As a driver, I am married to the top and made it work. It was easy on the top side as the race went on.” Weisser led on four occasions for ten laps and finished in second, with track champion McKinney in third. Timmy Hill led two laps and finished in the fourth spot. St. Louis area hot shoe Steffens led one lap and took fifth place. 17th starter Victor Lee, 22nd starter Dillon Nusbaum, Alan Stipp, Michael Ledford, and Friedman completed the top ten.
The Pro Late Model class made their second appearance of the season with 35 drivers on hand for their 25-lap, $1,000 to win race. Jose Parga led the first group of qualifiers with a time of 13.890 seconds. Devin McLean led the second group. Aaron Heck, Brandon Eskew, McLean, and Bob Gardner won their respective heat races, while Roben Huffman came out on top in the semi feature. Starting in the fifth position, Parga took the lead from Heck on lap eight, and for the 24th time this year, the DIRTcar Pro Late Model National Champion came out ahead of his competition. “Fairbury is one of my favorite tracks,” the second-generation driver said. “We have had a good year and this tops them all. We try to race against the best competition, and we proved to ourselves we are the best.” Heck finished in second, followed by McLean, Eskew, and Gardner. The second five had Matt Hammond, Amber Crouch, Blake Damery, Billy Knippenberg Jr., and Michael Marden finish in that order.
31 Late Model drivers, many who competed in last weekend’s World 100, went under the clock in qualifying. One of the hottest drivers in the country, no matter what he is racing, Kyle Larson took fast time at 12.727 seconds. Larson, Shane Clanton, and Sheppard won their respective heat races. The semi-feature went to Dennis Erb Jr. Following a lap 20 caution, Sheppard overtook Garrett Alberson for the lead and moved out to a straightaway lead as Alberson raced Gordy Gundaker for second, and 12th starter Tanner English raced side by side with 21st starter Jonathan Davenport for fourth. A yellow flag waved on lap 27 for debris. During the caution, Alberson went to the infield pit area to change a tire and had to go to the rear of the field.
Sheppard raced out to a five-car length lead as English and track champion Mike Spatola, who started 15th, ran side by side for second. In the closing laps, English, Spatola, and Gundaker put on a battle for second before Spatola took the runner-up spot with eight laps remaining. Sheppard, the current World of Outlaws Series points leader, crossed the line at the end of the 50-lap race $15,000 richer. Spatola got crossed up on the last lap and fell back to fourth, with English and 17th starter Bobby Pierce taking second and third. “I was hoping the top side was going to be there at the end of the race, because that is where we win most of our races here,” explained Sheppard. “We were pretty good on the bottom, but I blazed the top for a long time before I went to the bottom. My left rear tire was overheating. It was shaking so hard I couldn’t even go down there. When the tire cooled off, the caution came out on lap 20, and I had to go to the top on the restart.” Gundaker finished in fifth. Early race leader Larson recovered from a flat tire and finished sixth, followed by Davenport, Clanton, Frank Heckenast Jr., and Ryan Unzicker.
Forrest’s Austin Friedman continues to turn heads as his lap at 14.188 seconds gave him fast time over 18 other Modified drivers for their 25-lap, $2,000 to win race. Alan Stipp, Kyle Steffens, and Michael Ledford captured the heat race wins. Ledford moved past Steffens after a caution on the fifth lap and put his new MBR race car on the treacherous Fairbury cushion, beating the right-side quarter panel relentlessly. Ledford turned up the wick and pulled away to take his second Fairbury feature win of the year and sixth overall. “I was just trying to drive the car as hard as I could without getting into the wall,” said Ledford. “With the competition tonight, this is probably my biggest win.” Mike McKinney got by Steffens on the last lap to take second. Stipp finished fourth, followed by 13th starter Brandon Bollinger, Dylan Woodling, Travis Kohler, Bob Pohlman Jr., Adam Pockrus, and Dave Lilja.
61 Modifieds were on hand for the annual Casey’s Modified Nationals. In his first appearance to the track, Cole Falloway paced group one qualifiers with a time of 14.305 seconds. A time of 14.159 seconds gave Curt Spalding quick time for group two. Falloway, Treb Jacoby, Mike Harrison, Spalding, Will Krup, and Kenny Wallace picked up heat race wins. Three semi features had Garrett Jameson, Allen Weisser, and Nick Hoffman advancing to the $10,000 to win main event. Falloway opened a 10-car length lead at the start as Spalding, Krup, Harrison, and Wallace trailed. Harrison looked to be the fastest on track and was up to second by the eighth lap. Harrison pulled alongside Falloway on the ninth lap and took over the lead on lap 10. Just as quickly as Harrison took the lead, his night came to an end with engine problems. Falloway moved back into the lead with Tyler Nicely in pursuit. Nicely moved into the lead on lap 15 and headed the field for the next ten circuits. Nicely led Falloway, Spalding, Nick Hoffman, Derek Losh, and 22nd starter Mike McKinney. Falloway moved to the point on lap 26, but it was short lived, as Summit Modified Nationals champion Hoffman took command.
New Solutions Ag was the presiding sponsor for the $10,000 to win MARS Late Model Series race which drew a field of 29 competitors. Frank Heckenast Jr. was the event’s fastest qualifier with a time of 12.965 seconds. Heckenast, Tanner English, and Kevin Weaver won their respective heat races. Scott Schmitt was the winner of the semi-feature. 22 drivers took the green flag from flagman Jim Whittington. Second starter English led lap one before Heckenast moved to the front. Three straight yellow flags had the field go to a single file restart. With Heckenast and English running the bottom, Bobby Pierce found his comfort zone on the Fairbury cushion. Pierce was able to get by English for second as the caution fell for Shannon Babb’s spin. On the restart, Pierce opened a ten-car length lead while English and Heckenast raced side by side for second with Weaver and Brian Shirley following. English took over the second spot and closed the margin on Pierce. As Pierce was entering turn one, he changed his line with English on his bumper. Contact was made with English looping his car around for another yellow flag. The restart had Pierce leading Heckenast, Shirley, Jason Feger, and McKay Wenger. Shirley moved to second with a heated battle between Heckenast, Wenger, and Feger behind him. Wenger took over the third position, and as the trio were entering turn one, Feger got into the back of Heckenast resulting in a caution. Another caution fell on lap 26 for fifth running Taylor Scheffler who tagged the wall on the backstretch. When the field went back to green, Wenger, working the bottom, overtook Shirley for second and closed in on Pierce.
A field of 22 Late Model drivers registered for the rescheduled 25th Annual Pappy and Bob Allen Memorial race. Points leader Mike Spatola turned a lap at 12.842 seconds for quick time honors. Spatola, Jay Sparks, and Kevin Weaver won their respective heat races. The semi feature went to Logan Moody. Early in the 30-lap feature, as Spatola was leading, a puff of smoke showed from the rear end of his car. The yellow flag came out, and although Spatola’s night was done, his 15th place finish gave him enough points to wrap up his first-ever track championship at Fairbury. Jeffrey Ledford moved into the lead as Ryan Unzicker and Weaver raced for second. The caution waved on lap 17 as Weaver parked his car with mechanical problems. For the final 13 circuits, Unzicker threw everything he had at Ledford, but the young Pontiac driver pulled away in the final five laps to win his second feature of the season and add his name to a distinguished list of winners of the Allen Memorial. “I am so lucky to have the people that I do in my life that make this possible,” Ledford said. “Congrats to Opie on the championship. I hated to see him break instead of racing for the title. I thought that Ryan was going to get me. I was giving it everything I had.” McKay Wenger was able to overtake Unzicker with two laps to go and take second. Eric Smith finished in fourth, while Derek Chandler was fifth. The remainder of the top ten saw Dale Markham, Torin Mettille, Alex Wilson, Dan White, and 19th starter Blake Bailey finish in that order.
Austin Friedman earned fast time with a lap of 13.833 seconds as 24 Modified drivers looked to capture a FALS Cup trophy. Jason Hastings, Frank Marshall, and points leader Mike McKinney were the heat race winners. AJ Meiferdt was the winner of the b-main. In a race that saw nine caution flags, Marshall held an early lead before McKinney took command after a lap three yellow flag. Brandon Bollinger moved past Marshall at the halfway mark of the 25-lap race and closed to within five car lengths of McKinney. A caution with three laps to go gave Bollinger a chance to overtake McKinney, but the newly crowned track champion was able to hang on for his fifth win of the year at Fairbury and 99th career feature win. In addition to the track title, McKinney won the Alkota “Keep it Clean” Series championship and will be awarded a pressure washer courtesy of Ricky Bane and Rural Route Repair. “I must be the old guy of the bunch now because these young kids are getting good,” McKinney spoke. “It feels good to win another championship, and thanks to Ricky Bane for all that he does.” Michael Ledford survived a spirited race with Marshall to take third. Nick Clubb finished fourth, Marshall was fifth, and 13th starter Willy Myers took sixth. Hastings, Travis Kohler, Alan Stipp, and Friedman completed the top ten.
A time of 15.276 seconds gave Tanner Sullivan fast time as 23 Stock Cars were on hand for their 15-lap race. Three heat races had Sullivan, Megan Erwin, and Scott Schoener taking the checkered flag. Sullivan took the lead at the start with Erwin closely following. The first of five cautions that fell in the first seven laps saw Michael Schomas end his bid for a second straight title. With Schomas finished for the evening, Adam Williams picked up the Stock Car track championship. After a lap seven caution, Sullivan pulled away from his competition to win his third straight feature and fourth overall at Fairbury. “Three in a row is tough to do,” commented Sullivan. “Megan was beating on my bumper at the start. The car was good, but the driver could have been better.” Erwin settled for second followed by Lance Evans, Terry Reed, Cody Clubb, Zane Reitz, 15th starter Williams, Austin Hubbard, Schoener, and Calvin Peek Jr.
$500 was put up to the winner of the Harold Kincade Memorial for the CR Towing Sportsman division. A time of 14.893 seconds gave Landen Miller fast time. Wes Odell and Lyndon Whitfill won their respective heat races. Whitfill, looking for his first win of the year, led the first five laps before Tommy Duncan came roaring by to lead the rest of the way. With his win, Duncan has now won the last three Sportsman track championships. “The track was amazing tonight,” Duncan said. “I am not sure of the plans next year, but this is a good class for a person to start in.” In his final Sportsman race before moving into the Modifieds, Whitfill finished in second, with Odell, Tyler Roth, Anthony Craven, Rick Roedel, Makinzi Semmens, Victor Strong, Roy Magee, and Ronald Bacon in the top ten.
Chris Tippit’s time of 15.082 seconds gave him fast time with 17 Hobby Mod drivers featured for their final race of the year. Tippit and Payton Semmens were the heat race winners. Tippit was the class of the field and took his fifth straight feature win. “I have to thank Black Market Race Cars,” said Tippit. “The car is a lot faster than I am. I am still learning to drive it. Hopefully next year it will be even better.” Bryce Cunningham finished in second, with Kirby McCormick taking third. Jace Gall, Tim McGuire, Ty Stutzman, Semmens, Jake Green, Jason Vandermeir, and Luke Gebhardt completed the top ten.
Tonica’s Scott Schmitt in his new Sniper Chassis turned a lap of 12.988 seconds for fast time over 20 other drivers. Jeffrey Ledford, Eric Smith, and Mike Spatola won their respective heat races. Ledford and Smith lined up on the front row for the start of the 30-lap, $2,500 to win race. Smith moved to the lead as the green flag waved, but a yellow flag was displayed as Ledford slowed on the track with mechanical issues. The restart saw Spatola and Derek Chandler throw every move possible to overtake Smith for the lead, but the cagey veteran stood his ground. Kevin Weaver soon made it a four-way battle for first place, but Spatola slowed in turn two for a caution flag, and his race night came to an end. After a caution fell with eight laps to go, Rusty Griffaw was able to overtake Weaver for second. The laps ran out for the “Festus Flash” as Smith, who ended a six-year hiatus, returned to victory lane. “My crew kept working on the car trying to get it better on the cushion,” said Smith, a two-time Fairbury track champion. “I don’t know if they were faster than me, but I was able to hold them off.” Griffaw, an infrequent guest to FALS, turned in an outstanding race to finish second. Weaver, Chandler, and Torin Mettille rounded out the top five. Rich Bell, 15th starter Mike Provenzano, Kyle Hammer, Jeff Curl, and Glen Thompson completed the top ten.
19 Modified drivers looked to take a FALS Cup trophy and the $1,500 first place prize. Points leader Mike McKinney posted a lap of 14.316 seconds for quick time. Michael Ledford and Josh Allen won their respective heat races. Allen, a regular at the Spoon River Speedway, made the decision to head to Fairbury after rain washed out their program. Allen was able to lead all 25 laps of the feature, but it didn’t come easy. Ledford and McKinney took turns as both drivers tried to knock Allen off the front position. McKinney jumped the cushion and fell back several positions in the late stages of the race. Ledford and Nick Seplak were able to capitalize and race each other for second, as Allen had checked out on the competition. “I have never really been good here,” said Allen on his first career Fairbury win. “We were able to get off on the right start. I saw Ledford and McKinney on the cushion and I knew that is what it would take to hold them off. I’m usually not that good on the cushion here, but tonight we did alright.” Ledford, who trails McKinney by three points in the race for the track championship, finished in second. Seplak continues to impress with a solid third place run. The remainder of the top ten went to Trevor Neville, McKinney, Bob Pohlman Jr., Brent Weaver, Austin Friedman, Alan Stipp, and Mike Mosier.
Tanner Sullivan clocked in at 15.873 seconds in qualifying to grab Stock Car quick time honors. Sullivan and Megan Erwin were victorious in the heat races. Sullivan jumped out to a commanding lead in the 15-lap feature event. Never threatened for the lead, Sullivan was able to cruise to his second straight win. “This was the best the car has run all year,” Sullivan said. “Anywhere I put the car, it would work.” Erwin finished in the runner-up position, followed by Cody Clubb, Terry Reed, Andy Zahnd, Michael Schomas, Pete Odell, Josh Hetherington, Scott Schoener, and Adam Williams.
A time of 15.153 seconds gave Landen Miller fast time in the CR Towing Sportsman division. With only seven cars, one heat race was held, and Miller came out ahead. Looking to wrap up his third straight track title, Tommy Duncan took the lead on the start of the 15-lap feature. Miller was able to hang tough, but as the race went on, Duncan pulled away to take his sixth win of the season. “We didn’t change anything on the car,” Duncan spoke. “We just stayed with the setup we had and kept our speed up.” Miller, Lyndon Whitfill, Victor Strong, Makinzi Semmens, Dan Flessner, and Anthony Craven completed the finish.
Coming out of retirement, Scott Williams took fast time honors with a lap of 16.169 seconds in the Hobby Mod class. Chris Tippit and Wes Ricketts were heat race winners. Tippit continued his winning ways by leading from green to checkers in taking his fourth consecutive feature win. Williams finished in second, with Luke Gebhardt, Brian Deavers, Bryce Cunningham, Jordan Walker, Payton Semmens, Jake Green, Steven Kalb, and Jason Vandermeir completing the top ten.
